Global Youth: The supporters and faces of the micro-influencer

The numbers are in. People love micro-influencers. The niche girl we stumble across via our Instagram discover pages with 7.3k followers? With that reach, she simply has to be authentic, and, therefore, products she endorses are met positively.

This is our general understanding of what happens when consumers find one of these faces. They’re perceived as trustworthy, and offer a more personal connection than their mega-influencer counterparts. Therefore, despite a smaller reach, they can offer a higher conversation rate between followers and those who purchase recommended products.

So why does this appeal to Gen Z?

They resonate across many diverse cohorts within the generation, allowing specific targeting that’s applicable to even their most minor values. Their 10-100k follower count means they don’t have to make their message universal, and, as a result, it’s perceived as authentic to this age group globally.

Gen Z are more financially aware than expected. They have become known for their entrepreneurial mindset, and everybody has a Depop account ready to flip sneakers purchased in today’s ‘drop culture’. They know the worth of their money, so having brands target them with vague, mass messages just simply isn’t enough to cut through the noise of their online feeds.

So how can your brand/client do it right?

On a large scale, we can always look at the Glossier affect, who may focus on millennial pink branding, but appeals to Gen Z too.

Their recent pop up in San Francisco and enviably ‘Instagrammable’ showroom in SoHo, Manhattan appeal to the experience-craving Gen Z-ers, while their girl gang of showroom editors and brand ambassadors, (friends and micro influencers alike), align the brand seamlessly into their everyday lives with a believable authenticity.

For a smaller brand, think small too. Look at Arctic Zero, part of the newly saturated low-calorie ice cream market, who sent a sample pint to micro influencer Grace Abbott. The brand was tagged, recommended, and Abbott, with a following of 10.5k, even told followers where to buy it when they asked in the comments.

So with Nielsen reporting that 90% of consumers trust peer reviews, and Experticity reporting that 82% of those surveyed said they were ‘highly likely to follow a recommendation by micro-influencers’ why wouldn’t you make your brand representatives their peers?

Falling into the Gen Z demographic, with the same age, aesthetic, and interests, these micro-influencers truly are the peers of your target audience.

There is an influencer out there for every Gen Z-er you’re trying to target, and we say go find them.